Meanings
plural clockworks
- uncountableusuallyA mechanism powered by a coiled spring and regulated by some form of escapement; the power is transmitted through toothed gearwheels and used to drive a mechanical clock, toy, or other device.
Many contrivances for making model horses move up and down as on roundabouts were patented in 1887, and toy horses pulling toy carts were made to imitate galloping by means of clockwork.
1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 67 - uncountableusuallyThe action of behaving mechanically in the manner of a clock.
The mind feeds upon the body: pale sickness, and early decrepitude, overmaster even its spiritual essence. Too late it discovers that this earth is its prison, and not its home: the heart beats, and its pulses are the clockwork of wretchedness:...
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “An Evening Alone”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 307
- attributivenot comparableDriven by clockwork.
Origin
- Proto-Celtic*klokkosder.?
- Early Medieval Latinclocca
- Old Northern Frenchcloque
- Old Dutch*klokka
- Middle Dutchclocke
- Middle Englishclokke
- Englishclock
- Englishclockwork
Translations
Bulgarian часовников механизъм
- часовников механизъм (časovnikov mehanizăm)mechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Chinese Mandarin 发条装置, 钟表机构
- 发条装置mechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- 钟表机构mechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Dutch uurwerk
- uurwerkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Finnish kellokoneisto, jousikoneisto
- kellokoneistomechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- jousikoneistomechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
German Federwerk, Uhrwerk
- Federwerkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- Uhrwerkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Icelandic klukkuverk, úrverk
- klukkuverkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- úrverkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- gangverkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Irish oibriú cloig
- oibriú cloigmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Italian orologeria, meccanismo a molla
- orologeriamechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- meccanismo a mollamechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Japanese からくり, ぜんまい仕掛け
- からくり (karakuri)mechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- ぜんまい仕掛け (zenmaijikake)mechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Norwegian urverk
- urverkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Polish zegarowy mechanizm sprężynowy
- zegarowy mechanizm sprężynowymechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Portuguese corda
- cordamechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Spanish cuerda, mecanismo
- cuerdamechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- mecanismomechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- mecanismo de relojeríamechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- engranajemechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- mecanismo relojeromechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
- fornituramechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Swedish urverk
- urverkmechanism powered by coiled spring to drive mechanical device
Cite this entry
clockwork. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clockwork
“clockwork.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clockwork. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clockwork,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clockwork.
Source: clockwork on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.